Savannah arched a brow. “No reason.”
My heart was thumping like crazy.
“Speak of the devil,” Isla said under her breath.
She’d been subtle. But me? Not so much. My head jerked as I whipped around to follow her gaze.
There he was. All six-feet-gazillion of him. Funny how he’d been going to the same school as me for years, we’d been working together for weeks, and yet I’d never been quite so aware of the guy as I was right now.
I want to kiss you.
My mouth went dry, and my stomach dipped as his gaze met mine.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t been aware of him before. He’d just lived in a different universe. One that abutted mine and sometimes overlapped but were not in the same dimension.
I’d just assumed I was out of sight out of mind for him as well, but then—
I want to kiss you.
“I, um, I’d better get to class,” I said.
I didn’t wait for my friends before I sped off down the hallway and spun around the corner. Only then could I breathe.
Five
Maverick
Leo nudged my arm as we headed toward Savannah, Isla, Willow, and the space where Callie had been.
“Dude, what did you do to that girl?” He was laughing.
I was not.
I turned to him with a snarl I couldn’t stop.
“Whoa. Whoa, big guy.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m just kidding around.”
“Very funny,” I said.
He laughed again. Leo was the kind of guy who truly didn’t have a care in the world. And why should he? He was rich, spoiled, the star quarterback, and he could have any girl he wanted. Sort of like me—up until this past Friday night when I’d been rejected.
Isla and Willow cast curious looks in my direction before heading off after Callie. Probably going to see if she was all right after the big bad wolf had scared her off.
Crap. I glared down the hall after them. Had I really scared her off?
“Yo, big guy.” Savannah punched my arm and Leo snickered as he backed away from me, leaving me on my own. Jerk.
“Uh oh, looks like you got the princess all riled up,” he said.
Savannah narrowed her eyes and sneered at Leo. It was the same look she’d been giving him for years now. They were two pretty, popular people and each seemed to think the other should be dazzled by the other. But, like magnets, they were so similar they repelled each other. It was kind of funny to watch, but no sane person wanted to get caught in the middle.
Normally. Right now I was pissed as hell that Leo was walking away. I’d take their bickering and sparring over a lecture from Savannah any day. And that was what was coming. It was clear from the glare Savannah was pinning on me while Leo moved to join April and the other girls who were standing a few feet away. “Ladies,” he said in that Prince Charming voice of his that made all the girls giggle for no apparent reason.
Except for Savannah. She was too busy scowling at me.
“What?” I said. “What did I do?”
She poked my chest. “That’s precisely what I’d like to know. What did you do to make Callie freak?” She narrowed her eyes farther. “Callie is not one who freaks and she’s never rude. She loves everyone.” The way she said it made it clear that Savannah thought the whole ‘loving everyone’ thing was crazy.
I couldn’t disagree. It was one of the reasons Callie was so odd. But nice. Nicely odd.
“So?” She arched an eyebrow and I caught Leo and April looking our way, along with Traci and Vivienne, April’s friends. I met their stares evenly until they all looked away. “Do we have to talk about this here?”
“Would you rather I grill you over lunch?” she answered.
I sighed. “Fine. I made a move.”
“You—” Her eyes widened. “You did?”
I nodded.
Her eyes narrowed again. “You didn’t take advantage, did you? Because if I find out you touched her inappropriately or made her even remotely uncomfortable, I’ll—”
“Whoa.” I raised my hands. I honestly didn’t want to know what she’d do. And more than that, “I didn’t. I just asked her to April’s party.”
She frowned. “That’s it?”
I opened my mouth to say ‘yes’ because the rest was too humiliating. But at the same time, Savannah was the only person I was sort of friends with who was friends with Callie. Maybe she could help explain what had gone wrong.
Savannah arched her brows, her expression impatient.
I cleared my throat. “I also tried to kiss her.”
She stared at me. I stared back. This was effing embarrassing. Why was I sharing this with Savannah of all people? And why had Callie run away from me?
And why had she rejected me?
I’d never been shot down before. Come to think of it, I’d never even had to make the first move before. It just sort of happened. Girls were there. They flirted, and I just sort of...went with it.
My stomach dropped as a horrifying thought occurred to me. Did I have no game? I’d assumed I was good with girls because, you know—they liked me. Or they seemed to. But I’d never asked a girl out before Callie, and I was definitely not a fan of rejection.
Savannah eyed me for a long moment before breaking her scowl to smother a snort of laughter. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s just, you look like you might burst a blood vessel trying to figure out what went wrong.”
I growled and we both ignored the looks from the others who were not so patiently waiting for our private conversation to end. I caught April looking at her phone with a huff of impatience. “We’re going to be late, Savannah.”
Savannah glanced over at them and then turned back to me.
Desperation made me forget my embarrassment because seeing Callie in the hallway right now, looking all cute and sweet, and then seeing her smile disappear at the sight of me...
It had hurt.
Like, it had actually physically hurt. “Savannah, I don’t know what I did wrong.”
Savannah’s eyes widened in shock at my confession. Not surprisingly. We weren’t exactly BFFs, and I hadn’t even talked to Leo about this crush I had on Callie.
Ugh. Crush. What a dumb word. But I didn’t have a better one for these feelings I had when I was around her.
I knew without a doubt that if I’d told Leo, he would have just told me to forget her and move on to the next girl. An easy girl. A girl who wanted me back.
He wouldn’t have been wrong. Except that I couldn’t shake thoughts of Callie. When I was with her she made me feel...different. Good. Better.
Maybe that was what I should have told her.
You make me feel good. I winced inwardly at the thought. Yeah, that would have been real smooth.
It was probably a good thing I hadn’t tried to explain that to Callie. Me and words had never gotten along and trying to put feelings into words was a whole new level of torture.
I liked the way I felt around her, that was all I knew. And when I wasn’t with her I wanted to be. I wondered what she was doing. What her family was like. Where she’d learned to sing like that. How she found adult size clothing to fit her when she was roughly the size of a doll. I had a lot of questions I wanted answered. But mainly? I wanted to kiss her. And I couldn’t stop thinking about that either.
I ran a hand over my hair with a loud exhale.
If this was what it meant to like someone, I wasn’t a fan.
“Look, Maverick,” Savannah shifted so her back was to her friends and she dropped her voice even lower. “Callie just doesn’t know you, that’s all.”
I don’t even know you.
I frowned at the memory of those words, just as painful now as they’d been then. “She doesn’t know Roman either.”
Savannah winced just like Callie had done. “Yeah, well, she thinks that she does.”
I narrowed my eyes. What did that even mean? “Why?”
Sav
annah rolled her eyes. “Roman talks to her,” she said.
“But she doesn’t talk back,” I said.
Savannah made a choking sound, and I was pretty sure she’d almost laughed. “Fair enough. But they have music in common, if nothing else. And besides...” She leaned in a little and arched her brows. “He talks to her.”
I gave a little grunt of acknowledgement. Point taken.
Savannah tipped her head to the side to study me. Whatever she was thinking she seemed to come to some conclusion because when she started talking again, her voice was stern, like she was giving a lecture. “If you want Callie to like you, you can’t dive in lips first.”
I frowned. “But I want to kiss her.”
She huffed. “Look, I know you’re used to getting everything you want without lifting a finger, but Callie is different from the girls you usually hang out with.”
My frown turned to a scowl. Did she think I didn't know that? That was what I liked about her. She was different from anyone I’d ever met.
“She doesn't care about football or how popular you are,” Savannah said. “She's not a party person and she would never kiss a guy unless she really likes him.”
I stared at her. This was not news, and I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to help.
Savannah reached out and gripped my shoulders like my coach before a game. “Talk to her, Maverick. Try to be her friend first. Get to know her and let her get to know you.”
I nodded. Right. Friends first. I could do that.
“Savannah,” April whined.
Savannah gave me a wink as she started to turn away. “I’m rooting for you, Maverick.”
“Why?” I stopped her with the question and she paused.
“Why?” I thought she might laugh but she pursed her lips as she thought it over. “Because Callie is the best, but she doesn’t know it.” She reached out and patted my arm. “But I’m pretty sure you do. I think you honestly see how great she is, and that’s why I hope you get the girl.”
I nodded as she walked away.
I hoped so too. I wanted to be the guy who saw her. Who got her.
But Savannah was right. When it came to Callie, she wouldn’t just go for me because of who I was, she needed to get to know me.
I stretched my neck and flexed my muscles with a sniff as I headed toward my next class. Callie needed me to be a friend first?
I could totally do that.
I’d be the best dang friend that girl had ever seen.
Six
Callie
For the record, I was not a coward.
I peeked around the corner of the classroom and out into the hallway.
“Callie, what are you doing?” Flynn’s voice right next to my ear made me squeak.
Okay, fine. Maybe I was a coward. But only when it came to one guy. Who, ironically, I still thought of as the Cowardly Lion.
Or, as of late—the guy who’d almost kissed me.
Or, as of the past few days—the guy who seemed to be everywhere I turned.
“Um...” I said as Flynn arched a brow. Yup. Great answer. I was super good at thinking on my feet.
“You okay?” he asked.
My heart squeezed a little. I loved my Princess Troupe pals. They were always looking out for me. I guess I just wished that people didn’t think I needed to be looked out for. Of course, who could blame him now when I was hiding like a wuss.
“I’m fine,” I said.
He nodded slowly. “So, you’re just hiding behind a door for the fun of it?”
I laughed. “Yup. You know me. Just like to scope out the scene before I dive into the crowds.”
He was smiling but there was still concern in his eyes. “Does this have anything to do with Maverick?”
I blinked. “Why do you think that?”
His brows went up and he nodded for me to walk out into the hallway with him. “Look, if he’s bothering you, I’m happy to talk to him—”
“No!” I said it so quickly that we both blinked in surprise.
“Okay,” he said slowly, clearly waiting for me to explain.
I bit my lip. I was such a moron. “He’s been so nice.”
“Uh huh. I see.”
He clearly didn’t see. I drew in a deep breath. “But he asked me out last weekend—”
Flynn’s brows shot up in surprise, but he didn’t interrupt.
“And I said no,” I continued. I decided to leave out the near-kiss part. That wasn’t anyone else’s business. “So I thought he’d be weird about it. Or at least go back to not knowing I existed like he’s done for the last three years.”
Flynn nodded. “But instead...”
I sighed. “Instead, he’s been nice.”
Flynn did not seem as horrified as I’d sounded.
“So nice,” I added for good measure.
His brows drew together in confusion. “Maybe he’s just a nice guy.”
I stared at Flynn. “You’ve known him as long as I have, and you’ve been working with him as well. So tell me...does he offer to carry your books to your locker?”
Flynn’s eyes widened. “He does that?”
“Or give you a lift home because he knows your car is in the shop and you need a ride?”
Flynn’s open-mouthed expression was satisfyingly shocked. “No. No, I can’t say he’s ever done that.”
“And the worst part,” I continued with a shake of my head. “I don’t know why he’s doing this. I can’t figure out if he’s laughing at me or what. I don’t know if he’s just considerate or if he has an agenda or....” I sighed. “I just don’t get it.”
Flynn eyed me for a moment. “Have you asked him?”
I stopped and turned to stare. The hall wasn’t crazy crowded, but I got a few looks for stopping.
“Ask him?”
Flynn was regarding me like I was a confusing phenomenon. “Yeah, you know, have you talked to him?” He gave my arm a little nudge with his elbow. “You’ve never struck me as the type to have a hard time talking.”
I gave a short laugh. “True.”
Except maybe around Roman. We’d had one rehearsal this week and while I’d had an easy time making small talk with Dylan and Ax, I continued to draw blanks when I tried to strike up conversations with Roman. Everything I thought of to say sounded too stupid in my head to say aloud. I’d sound too perky or too chipper or too naive or too immature.
But I digress. Because yeah, aside from those times when Roman was near, I was typically a talker. I put people at ease. I blew up awkward silences before they could get started.
So why was I unable to do that with Maverick?
Because he’d almost kissed me, that was why.
“But, Callie, honestly, if he’s making you uncomfortable, I can totally talk to him.” His grin turned wicked. “Or I could sick Isla on him for you.”
We both laughed at the thought of my sassy friend standing up to Maverick. She definitely wouldn’t have a problem with it.
“He’s not doing anything wrong,” I said. “And you’re right. I should just talk to him.”
I didn’t have to wait long for a chance. I was heading out of the main hallway, ready to walk home from school when Maverick spotted me and headed in my direction.
My heart picked up its pace, like it had been prone to do this week. And just like always, the sight of him made me think of the dark, heated look in his eyes when he’d leaned in to kiss me.
No one had ever looked at me like that. No one had ever seen me like that. Like I was—I don’t know—sexy, maybe? Like I was edible.
My mouth went dry at the thought and I bit my lip. As he drew close, his expression was unreadable, but I still knew what he’d say.
“Hey. You need a ride home?”
He’d asked me every day for the last few days and today was no exception.
Normally I said no. I always found a way home or to rehearsal. But today... I nodded. “If you don’t mind. I could use a ride to rehea
rsal.”
His eyes lit up and my stomach did a somersault at the strange sight. I’d never seen that before either. His lips tugged up at the corners as he reached for my bookbag.
I held on tight. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”
He arched his brows. He seemed genuinely surprised. And I felt like a jerk.
“Not that I don’t appreciate it,” I said. “But I don’t need help.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Silence fell between us and I shifted uncomfortably. How did one nicely say ‘why are you being so nice to me?’ without sounding like a prickly weirdo. Oh screw it. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
His lips did that twitching thing. He was amused, his eyes told me. He liked that I straight-up asked.
I’d give him this. For a big brute who grunted more than he talked and whose expressions were almost somewhere between bland to bored, he managed to say a lot without saying anything at all.
He led the way down the hallway, and I ignored the looks I was getting from his crew. The popular crowd. The kind of people who liked me but didn’t like me. And I knew without a doubt they wouldn’t approve of him liking me.
How did I know? I just knew. Just like I knew Maverick was waiting until we got outside to answer my question. When he did it stunned me stupid.
“I want to get to know you,” he said.
I stared at his profile. He was serious. “I’m pretty much an open book. What you see is what you get.”
He flashed me this sidelong glance along with the tiniest flicker of a smile that made my heart flip for some reason. Something in his gaze was filled with approval. Admiration, even. “Well then, maybe I want you to get to know me.”
A long silence passed as I processed that. “Are you a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of guy?”
He smiled. A legit smile that made me wish I could see it head on to see what it did to his features. “I don’t think so. I’d like to think I’m more than a brick wall.”
I laughed. I laughed so hard that the tension I’d been carrying all week disappeared.
And when I looked over he was grinning down at me and the way he was grinning made my stomach do a backflip. This smile was rare. Even if I hadn’t gone to school with him for three years I would have known that. It was rare, which made it feel intimate.
Never Have I Ever Land: A Sweet YA Romance (Fall in Love Like a Princess Book 3) Page 4